Turkmenistan adopted a new law on Thursday for regulating presidential elections that changes the qualifications potential candidates must satisfy. The law says that an individual must be either backed by a political party or collect at least 50,000 signatures to qualify as a presidential candidate. The previous law required that a potential candidate receive approval …

California Governor Jerry Brown on Thursday indicated that he would ask a federal judge for more time to construct his plan to reduce the state's prison population. The US Supreme Court ruled last week in Brown v. Plata to uphold an order requiring California to …

A Tanzanian judge on Thursday urged police to arrest Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the country's opposition party, Chadema. Judge Charles Magesa issued arrest warrants for Mbowe and six others last week when they failed to appear in court for a hearing on their case. After Mbowe failed to appear in court or send a …

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and a coalition of other civil rights groups filed a class action lawsuit Thursday challenging a Georgia immigration law similar to Arizona law already being challenged in federal court. The groups filed the lawsuit in the US District Court for …

The Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report Thursday recommending international legalization of cannabis, marijuana and other drugs. The panel also recommended expanding the variety of treatments available to drug users, as well as making them more available, and investing in programs to discourage children from using drugs, rather than enforcing harsh punishments against …

US authorities announced Thursday that they are investigating claims by Google that hundreds of personal Gmail accounts were breached by hackers in China. Google disclosed on Wednesday that hundreds of users, including US government and military officials and political activists, were targets of a "phishing" scam originating in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province. Google alleges that …

The Obama administration took a stand Wednesday against a controversial Indiana law that prevents health care providers with abortion services from receiving Medicaid funds. Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sent a letter to Patricia Casanova of the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning …

Iraqi police forces have been beating and illegally detaining protesters over the past week, according to a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Demonstrators are reported to be peacefully protesting, or simply organizing protests, when interrogated and detained. The report details several incidents of protester abuse.Several activists in the capital told Human Rights Watch …

The New York attorney general on Wednesday filed a complaint against the US government for failing to investigate the risks of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a controversial technique used to release natural shale gas. The complaint seeks to compel a number of federal agencies to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) …

The Port Authority or New York and New Jersey, owners and maintainers of the World Trade Center (WTC), argued in an appeal on Wednesday before the New York Court of Appeals that they were not liable for negligence in the 1993 World Trade Center attacks. The …

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Wednesday heard oral arguments over a challenge to the individual mandate of the health care reform law. The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) is representing plaintiffs challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate which requires that all citizens purchase health insurance. The …

An Iraqi-Canadian civilian on Wednesday appealed his conviction by a US military court. Alaa "Alex" Mohammad Ali, a military contractor who was convicted by a US military court in Iraq in 2008, argued that his conviction was unconstitutional. The case was the first in which a civilian was charged and convicted by …

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLUFL) filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging an executive order that mandates state government agencies provide pre-employment drug screening for all prospective employees and provide for random drug testing of all current agency employees regardless of classification. Governor Rick Scott issued Executive Order 11-58 [text, …

Rwandan gacaca courts have carried out flawed trials for crimes committed during the country's 1994 genocide, according to a report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The gacaca courts were established by the Rwandan government in 2001 to reduce the caseload in the country's traditional justice …

A three-person commission for the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) appointed to investigate violence in Libya published a report Wednesday saying that government forces have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes under orders from Libyan leader Mummar Gaddafi and other high-ranking officials. The commission's 92-page report said Libyan authorities have …